SAFFARID

The dynasty’s founder and commander, Ya’qub,[i] was born in 840 in a small town called Karnin, east of Zaranj, and before taking control of his native province, he worked as a coppersmith [ii]. The Saffarid empire reached its greatest extent in 873, after overthrowing the Persian Tahirids [iii] and annexing Khorāsān [iv]. After Ya’qub’s death, the dynasty was run by his brother, Amr bin Laith, who was defeated by the Sammanids at the Battle of Balkh [v] and forced to surrender most of his territories to the new rulers. Eventually, the dynasty ended in 1002, when Mahmud of Ghazni dethroned Khalaf I, the great-grandson of Amr.

Throughout time, the Saffarids have fought rivals from Khorāsān for power in the region and they defeated the Kharijites. After defeating the Kharijites [vi], Ya'quib incorporated many of their warriors into the Saffarid military, claiming they were all fighting the Abbasids [vi]. The Saffarids initially had a good relationship with the Abbasids, but this attitude declined over time, and eventually, they regarded the Abbasids as their biggest rivals. This attitude towards the Abbasids prompted Ali b. Muhammad, the leader of the Zanj rebels, proposed an alliance [viii] with Ya'quib during the Thawrat al-Zanj [ix], but the latter declined it.

The rise of the Saffarids marked the first significant breach in the territorial integrity of the Abbasid Caliphate and their method of formation became the normative pattern of Islamic political life. Every post-Saffarid dynasty, from the Samanids (9th century) through the Khwarizmshahs [x] (13th century), follow the Saffarid model, often in the organization of military and administrative matters as well as in its mode of accession to power. Culturally, the Saffarids patronized the Persian language [xi] in the form of court poetry. Under their rule, the eastern Islamic world witnessed the emergence of prominent Persian poets such as Fayrouz Mashriqi [xii], and Muhammad ibn Wasif [xiii].

The Saffarids were organized as a military dynasty [xiv] that used the capital of Zaranj as a base for an aggressive expansion eastward and westward. The first Amir, Ya'quib was a fearless warrior and a harsh military commander [xv], who maintained strict discipline within the army and made his decisions without having regard for anyone else. Upon his death, his brother Amr bin Laith, who took over control of the dynasty, maintained the same aggressive policy, motivated by expansion. Both would at times obtain investiture diplomas for their territories and send tribute to other regions when it fitted their purpose.

The Saffarid dynasty was one of the first indigenous Persian dynasties [xvi] to appear after the Arab conquest of Iran. During the caliphate of al-Mutawakkil, Saleh ibn Nasr asked for the help of Ya’qub to fight the forces of Tahir ibn Abdollah and occupy Sistan. In 861, Yaqub, seized the control of Sistan from Dirham ibn Nasr (the successor and brother of Saleh ibn Nasr) and began expanding the territory [xvii] under his control. An important factor related to Yaʿqub’s rise to power is that he represented an opposition to the strongly aristocratic principle that had prevailed in Iran since antiquity [xviii].

In the central Islamic lands, the formation of the Saffarids inaugurated the appearance of autonomous dynasties whose power was obtained by force and then given de-facto legitimation. The Saffarid dynasty was part of the Iranian Intermezzo (the Persian Renaissance) [xix], which also included the Persian Tahirids [xx], Sajids and Buyyids [xxi]. During the ruling of Ya'quib, the Saffarids began conquering most of Iran and Afghanistan, as well as parts of Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Throughout time, the army had also expanded considerably, from 2.000 in 861 to 10.000 - 20.000 men in 870, when the dynasty was operating on multiple fronts.

During the course of their campaigns, the Saffarids undertook various minting activities. After chasing the Banijurid dynasty out of Panjhir, the Saffarids took over Panjhir’ mines. Panjhir was a renowned silver mining area, and it was here where the first Saffarid coins were issued [xxii]. Subsequently, most Saffarid minting took place in Fars, but they also minted coins in al-Ahwaz [xxiii]. In addition to minting, the Saffarids gained vast amounts of wealth in the form of looting and slave. During Amr’s ruling, the dynasty maintained better relationships with the Abbasids, to whom Amr paid an annual tribute of a million dirhams in exchange for recognition.